


if you miss it, try again

by QuietLittleVoices



Category: King Falls AM (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Unspecified, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-07-06 11:33:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15885198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuietLittleVoices/pseuds/QuietLittleVoices
Summary: “I told Ben we’re dating,” Sammy admitted.Jack stopped entirely and turned to look at him. “Why?” he asked. “Last I checked we aren’t, so why would you say that?”Sammy wished his face would stop heating up. “I don’t know! He was bugging me about being single so I just… said it!”[Or: the fake dating AU this fandom deserved]





	if you miss it, try again

**Author's Note:**

> What is this AU? Who knows. Just roll with it. 
> 
> helloearthlings wanted a fake dating AU and I wanted to write something fluffy so here it is! Enjoy!

Ben mercifully waited until after the show was over to bring it up. Not that he’d mention it on the radio, Sammy knew that, but he could have tried to ambush him during an ad break.

“Dude,” Ben said, pushing his headphones off and onto the desk. “You need a boyfriend.”

Sammy flushed. “I’m good,” he muttered.

“I could set you up with Pete - scratch that, actually, I wouldn’t be able to look you in the eye,” Ben continued. He hadn’t stopped trying to set Sammy up in the short time since he and Emily had finally gotten together, and his list of ‘eligible bachelors’ was getting shorter and shorter. “Oh, maybe Dwayne or Kirk? I think they’re dating, but maybe they’re into that, I don’t know.”

“Please stop talking,” Sammy begged. “Anyway, I have a boyfriend.” As soon as he said it, he wanted to take it back. He didn’t know what had possessed him to say it in the first place.

Ben’s eyes lit up gleefully. “ _ Seriously _ ?” he asked, voice starting to reach new levels of grating on Sammy’s nerves. “Who? Do I know him? When did you meet? How long? I need to know! How did you not tell me this immediately?”

“Slow your roll, buddy,” Sammy muttered, trying to stall while he mentally rifled through all the names he could potentially drop. “It’s, uh. Jack,” he said finally.

“ _ Jack _ ?” Ben repeated, his voice now fully grating. “How did I not know this, oh my god. I can’t believe you didn’t  _ tell _ me as soon as it happened! How long have you been dating?”

“It’s all sort of new,” Sammy said noncommittally. “I have to go meet him, actually, so I’m gonna - I gotta go.”

Sammy got up quickly despite Ben’s protests and left the studio, heading straight home.

 

Sammy walked into the apartment to find Jack making coffee in the kitchen. 

“I fucked up,” he said immediately.

Jack paused his movements for a moment before continuing to prepare breakfast. Two plates out, two mugs. “What happened? Did something happen during the show?”

“I told Ben we’re dating,” Sammy admitted.

Jack stopped entirely and turned to look at him. “Why?” he asked. “Last I checked we  _ aren’t _ , so why would you say that?”

Sammy wished his face would stop heating up. “I don’t know! He was bugging me about being single so I just… said it!”

“You realize that if you do find a boyfriend, you’ll have to tell him we broke up or that you lied to him, right?” Jack asked, rubbing a hand down his face and turning as the coffee pot clicked to indicate it was finished. 

Sammy bit his lip as he watched Jack pour the two cups, topping them both off with milk and then dumping an almost unholy amount of sugar in one of them. Sammy picked up the sugarless one and took a sip before answering. “I know. I know I should just come clean right away but - he offered _ Pete _ first, to set me up with. I don’t want to know what’s lower than Pete on his list.”

Jack shuddered theatrically and sipped his nearly-syrup coffee. “Ouch, yeah.” He took another sip of his coffee, not looking directly at Sammy as he did. “Yes, I’ll do it,” he said decisively. 

“Do what?” Sammy asked. He hadn’t asked anything of Jack, he’d just wanted to commiserate and explain the situation. 

“I’ll pretend to be your boyfriend until you can get yourself out of this mess,” Jack explained. “We’ll just have to maybe hold hands in front of Ben a little, right? And then just  _ say _ we’re dating? It doesn’t seem that difficult, he’s not exactly gonna ask for proof more than that.”

Sammy raised an eyebrow at him. “You’ve met Ben. It’s possible.”

The toast popped up so Jack removed the two slices and replaced them in the toaster. He quickly buttered both of them and pushed one over to Sammy. “I guess.” Jack shrugged. “Whatever. I’ll do it.”

“Oh. Well, thanks,” Sammy said, trying not to act too surprised. “We can probably stop after like a week or two? Say it just didn’t work out? I told him that it was a recent thing.”

Jack nodded. “Yeah, sure. Makes sense.” He was staring a little too intensely at his slice of toast and Sammy wanted to ask him what he was thinking about, but he wasn’t sure that he wanted to know so he just left it at that.

 

“What do we have to do to sell it?” Jack asked as they walked over to Ben’s apartment for their weekly movie night. 

It would be the first time that Ben had seen them together since Sammy had ‘told’ him about dating Jack that morning and Sammy wasn’t looking forward to it. “What about just - this,” Sammy offered, reaching over and taking Jack’s hand even though they were alone on the street.

Jack didn’t look convinced. “What if either of us wants popcorn? You can’t just sacrifice a hand like that.”

Sammy dropped Jack’s hand reluctantly. “What do you suggest, then, if you’re so good at this?”

Jack didn’t answer right away, and Sammy looked over to see him looking around them. Then Jack yawned theatrically and stretched an arm around Sammy’s shoulders, pulling him in against his side. “Much better for movies,” he said.

Sammy rolled his eyes and was glad that the darkness was hiding how intense his blush was getting. “You better not do  _ that _ in front of Ben. He’d never let me live it down.”

“What?” Jack asked innocently. “Snuggle, or -” he jostled Sammy’s shoulder a little, “ _ put the moves _ on you?”

“Ugh. That.” Sammy covered his face with his hand. “It’s just gonna be the three of us, so it doesn’t have to be much. We can probably sit a little closer than normal and it’ll be fine.”

Jack removed his arm from around Sammy’s shoulder as the rounded the corner and Sammy tried not to mourn the loss of contact. “We’ll play it by ear,” Jack agreed noncommittally. 

They reached Ben’s apartment building and let themselves in using Sammy’s key, and then courtesy-knocked on Ben’s apartment door before just letting themselves in.

“You’re early,” Ben said, closing his laptop and putting it on his coffee table.

Jack looked at his phone. “You said to get here at eight and it’s already ten past.”

Ben shrugged and stood up, walking over to the kitchen. “Yeah, I just don’t normally expect you to arrive before eight thirty. I honestly didn’t think you’d be here before nine, since…” he gestured between them as he passed and Sammy ducked his head in embarrassment.

“I tried to have us ready by seven thirty,” Jack replied, and Sammy tried not to startle when he felt Jack’s arm go around his shoulders, “but you know Sammy.”

Ben laughed and Sammy heard the tell-tale sounds of crinkling as he prepared popcorn. “I’m surprised I don’t have to start the show alone more often, yeah.”

“Hey,” Sammy protested. “I’m usually on time for work. It’s… the other stuff I’m bad at. I’m not  _ that _ bad, you two just think that if you aren’t half an hour early then you’re late.” He tried to slip out from under Jack’s arm surreptitiously and went towards the couch.

“It’s not a bad way to be, babe,” Jack teased, and Sammy felt his brain trip over the pet name as Jack said it - so easily, like it was something he called Sammy all the time, and Sammy couldn’t help but wish for a second that it was.

“You guys are  _ too _ cute,” Ben said from the kitchen, and Sammy felt himself get his bearings again. 

“What movie do we want to watch?” Sammy interrupted, hoping to take the focus off his and Jack’s (non-existent) relationship.

“John Wick!” Ben replied excitedly. “I just got the blu-ray.”

“I’m not watching the dog die,” Sammy shot back. “Can we just watch Thor?”

“You just have a thing for dumb, blonde, jocks,” Ben teased.

“Thor’s not dumb,” Sammy said defensively, at the exact same time as Jack said, “I’m not dumb!” 

They looked at each other and started to laugh as Ben walked into the living room with the bowl of popcorn. Ben didn’t say anything, but he was giving Sammy a fond look as he settled himself into one side of the sofa. Normally, he dropped himself right into the middle because he complained that if Sammy and Jack sat on one side together it would throw the cushion balance off, and Sammy tried not to think about why he was letting them sit together.

Sammy didn’t deliberately sit away from Jack, but he left a good space between them - enough that he wasn’t too aware of Jack’s body next to his. 

“You guys can… hold hands, or whatever,” Ben said, opening up Netflix and mercifully starting to search for Thor. “I know it’s kind of our ‘guy night’, but that’s stupid and I don’t care.”

Sammy opened his mouth to protest, maybe say something like  _ we don’t really do that _ or try to get out of it without something seeming off, but was cut off when Jack tugged Sammy towards him and once again put his arm around Sammy. The careful distance that Sammy had put was gone and now his side was pressed up entirely against Jack’s - he shifted a little bit so that his legs weren’t at an awkward angle but it just molded him further into Jack’s side. 

Ben grinned at them and selected the movie to play and Sammy tried not to be too self-conscious. He knew that Ben loved him, objectively, but in the three years they’d known each other Sammy had never had a serious boyfriend. And for that boyfriend to be Jack, regardless of the reality of it, was a little overwhelming. Because now Sammy was stuck trying not to focus on the rise and fall of Jack’s chest, the warmth of his skin, while acting like this was entirely normal. Something they’d done before and would do again, but Sammy knew that once this charade was done he’d never have this again.

“Don’t think you’re out of giving me all the details about this, Sammy,” Ben teased. “You guys have been friends for longer than I’ve known either of you, and I wanna know who asked who out.”

“I asked Sammy,” Jack said immediately. It wasn’t something they’d discussed, and Sammy was grateful that Jack seemed willing to do improv. “I wanted to for years and just decided, you know, if not now, when? I’m just glad he said yes.”

Sammy couldn’t let himself dwell on what Jack said, because it was definitely fake, but he couldn’t help the way his heart stuttered a little at the possibility that Jack actually was into him. 

Ben rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “If you’d asked me, I could’ve told you that he would.”

“What -” Jack started, but Sammy cut him off.

“C’mon let’s watch the movie.” Sammy didn’t have to work hard to let partially feigned embarrassment seep into his tone. 

“I’ll get those details,” Ben warned, but he turned back towards the TV.

Jack rubbed Sammy’s arm slowly throughout the movie, and it kept Sammy from focusing on anything other than every point where their bodies were touching.

 

Troy, as the only homeowner and married member of their little crew, hosted a ‘family dinner’ once a month. It was only a few days after Sammy had lied to Ben about Jack, and he only realized when he and Jack were preparing a side dish to bring to the dinner that they might need to widen the circle a little.

“There’s no way this won’t be awkward as hell when we ‘break up’,” Jack pointed out, making air quotes with his free hand.

Sammy suppressed a flinch. “Yeah,” he admitted. “But - if we say it was amicable and don’t act weird, what are they gonna do?”

Jack shrugged. “I guess. It’ll still be weird for a bit.” He screwed up his face a little in a dramatically uncomfortable expression and Sammy tried not to read into it.

They finished off their potato salad and went to Troy and Loretta’s. Ben’s Smartcar was already in the driveway, so they parked on the street and walked up to the door.

Loretta answered their knock and gave them both a hug before taking the bowl out of Sammy’s hands and ushering them into the house.

“Look who it is!” Troy said happily, walking out of the kitchen to see Sammy and Jack getting into the dining room where Ben and Emily were already waiting. “We’ve been waiting for you two to partner up, you know.”

“We’re so excited for you both!” Emily agreed.

Sammy felt something drop in his stomach. He couldn’t feel happy that his friends were happy for them because it was all based off a lie. He wanted to just admit it, tell everyone the truth, because he almost couldn’t bear the idea that he and Jack would say they broke up and their friends would never know. Ben especially had been so happy for Sammy over the last few days, asking him about plans to come out at work and in general how ‘things with Jack’ were going.

Jack started to talk before Sammy could, though. “Thank you all, so much,” he said. “You’re all amazing friends.”

Sammy wanted the floor to open up and swallow him. He just smiled and nodded, letting Jack take the lead as they took their seats across from Ben and Emily at the table.

 

“Do you know how to skate?” Ben asked idly during an ad break.

Sammy felt immediately on guard. Ben rarely asked things without motive, and Sammy wasn’t sure what he could possibly be planning. “No,” he admitted. “Why?”

Ben shrugged. “Emily wanted to go skating, and I thought we could make it a double date.”

“I don’t know…” Sammy answered slowly. “I’d have to ask Jack.”

“Have you guys been on a real date yet?” Ben asked, and Sammy could see the wheels turning as he started to form a plan.

Sammy wanted to nip that in the bud, though. “Obviously,” he replied. “There was movie night…, Troy and Loretta’s….,” he trailed off, unable to think of anything that he and Jack had done outside of their apartment in the last week. “We went out to dinner with Lily on Saturday.” They hadn’t told her about the ruse they were keeping up with the rest of their friends, though, because they both knew that she’d kill them for it, and Jack wouldn’t lie to his sister about it.

Ben looked disappointed. “You two are boring. You’re going skating with me and Emily tomorrow, that’s final.”

 

Jack handed Sammy a cup of coffee as he walked into the kitchen and Sammy took a sip gratefully. “I’m making scrambled eggs,” he said, pointing to the pan with his spatula.

“Thanks. Do you know how to skate?” Sammy asked.

Jack looked confused. “I think so, but it’s been a long time.”

“Ben is forcing us to go on a double date with him and Emily tomorrow,” Sammy explained. “Just wanted to know if it was gonna be a complete disaster or only a minor one.”

“Do you not know how to skate?” Jack asked incredulously. “Didn’t you grow up in Minnesota? I thought there was outdoor skating there in the Winter.”

Sammy shrugged. “I was never in hockey or anything, so I never had a reason to learn.”

Jack nodded and then started laughing seemingly out of nowhere.

“What?” Sammy asked.

“I just imagined you as a hockey player,” Jack explained, pushing the eggs around in the pan. 

Sammy crossed his arms defensively. “I could have been.”

Jack shook his head. “You would have gone to one practice and then asked to go home and you know it.”

Sammy sighed and leaned against the doorframe. “You’re not wrong.”

Jack looked over his shoulder and smiled at Sammy, who felt his chest tighten. “It’s fine. Your strengths just lie in other places.”

Sammy smiled back and then tucked his chin to avoid Jack’s eyes. “What I’m hearing is that there’s only room for one jock in this house.”

“Yup,” Jack said cheerfully. “We would have had to fight to the death.”

Sammy rolled his eyes as Jack turned the heat off on the stove. “You’ll just have to help me stay upright when we go skating.”

“I’ll hold your hands,” Jack offered. “That’s what good boyfriends do.”

“Of course,” Sammy answered, keeping his tone light even as it got a little hard to breathe. He accepted his plate from Jack and moved to the dining room, asking Jack about Lily to change the topic.

 

Emily, as it turned out, did figure skating until she left high school, and went skating fairly regularly. She demonstrated a little jump for her companions and then immediately told them all the ways she’d messed it up, but Ben looked so proud of her and Sammy and Jack just clapped politely. 

Ben and Jack were both comfortable on the ice, though neither of them were about to pull any stunts. Ben admitted that he wouldn’t even want to try skating backwards and stuck to even strides.

Sammy was like a newborn foal. He almost fell flat on his ass when he first stepped onto the ice, and was saved only by one hand gripping the boards and Jack grabbing his upper arm.

“You really weren’t kidding,” Ben teased, and Sammy stuck his tongue out at him but did grab hold of Jack’s arm tightly.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe,” Jack reassured him, patting Sammy’s hand lightly.

Sammy was glad that the arena was so cold so no one could tell why he was flushed.

The four of them skated around for over an hour, mostly all slowed down to Sammy’s awkward snails’ pace. It was like every other time the four of them had hung out, talking and laughing and joking around. At one point, Ben tried to topple Sammy and ended up sprawled on top of him on the ice and Sammy complained about getting a bruised tailbone for the rest of the evening. It was almost completely normal, but Sammy was all too aware of his hand tucked into Jack’s elbow, and then Jack’s hand in his later, when they all went to drink hot chocolate out in the cool Fall air.

 

Sammy didn’t realize anything had happened until after Jack had left the studio and Ben was looking at him affectionately, chin resting on his hand.

“What?” Sammy asked defensively, tucking his ‘lunch’ bag under the desk.

“He brought you your food!” Ben exclaimed. “It’s three in the morning, that’s so sweet!”

Sammy felt confused. “He’s done that before.”

“Not since you started dating!” Ben reached over to the soundboard and set a second commercial running. They’d apologize to their listeners in a minute. “I’m just saying, it’s sweet that he woke up and brought that all the way here for you.”

“I guess,” Sammy admitted. “It doesn’t really seem like a ‘couple’ thing.”

Ben shrugged. “Maybe he was always doing it because he liked you,” he pointed out. “Would you bring me my lunch?”

“We work together,” Sammy objected. “I would be with you.”

Ben waved a hand dismissively. “I don’t think you would. I used to stay awake too long to get lunch with Emily on her breaks. I still do that.”

“You were like, disgustingly in love with her, though,” Sammy said. 

Ben raised one of his eyebrows. “How is it  _ that _ different?” 

Sammy couldn’t think of an answer that wouldn’t betray him and the lies he’d already told, but he was mercifully saved from replying by the sound of the commercial finishing. “Welcome back to the Sammy and Ben show,” he said instead, turning towards the mic. “Sorry for the extra-long ad break, but we had a few things to deal with.”

 

Jack was pouring their coffee when Sammy got back from the station.

“You should have gone back to sleep,” Sammy said.

Jack shrugged. “I took a bit of a nap, I guess, but I couldn’t get back to sleep anyway.” He poured the milk in both mugs and then several heaping spoonfuls of sugar in one. 

Sammy took his milk-only coffee. “I’m sorry for waking you up, then. I probably should have just suffered through using the vending machine for lunch.”

Jack shook his head. “It’s fine. What’re friends for?”

“About that,” Sammy said slowly, wrapping both of his hands around the mug to hold it securely. “Ben said something, and… did you do that as part of our whole ‘boyfriends’ thing or did you just… do it?”

Jack froze and Sammy regretted asking immediately. He hated the uncertainty of it, wondering if Jack was doing something to put up a front for others or because of their friendship, but he didn’t want to make Jack uncomfortable. “I just did it,” he answered finally, not looking at Sammy. 

Sammy didn’t want to ask, because he knew that by  _ asking _ he would at least partially reveal his own hand, but he needed to know. “Is there something we need to talk about?” he asked.

Jack’s shoulders immediately fell and Sammy wished he could take it back - he kept putting his foot in his mouth, but he couldn’t stop asking the wrong questions. Jack set down his mug and covered his eyes with one hand, resting heavily on the other. “I never meant for you to find out,” Jack said finally. “I knew I should have said no to all of this, but I just… I wanted to know what it was like.”

“Oh thank God,” Sammy breathed, and he set down his own mug. “I told Ben we were dating because I… kind of wished that we were. Have for a long time.”

Jack removed his hand from his face and met Sammy’s eyes. “Seriously? This whole time, you could have just asked me out like a normal person?”

“Well, when you put it that way, it seems a little ridiculous,” Sammy admitted. “I was so sure you could  _ never _ feel the same way about me, though.”

Jack laughed in disbelief. “We’re both useless. I’m gonna kiss you now, and then we’re gonna have breakfast and talk about this, okay?”

Before Sammy could even answer, Jack was reaching forward and pulling him in. Jack tangled his hand in Sammy’s hair and kissed him firmly. Sammy responded quickly, putting his hands on Jack’s waist. When they pulled apart they were both smiling.

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment if you enjoyed it!!


End file.
